the best boat ever

Why, whenever somebody mentions the 49er, do the words "flash in the pan" come to mind. The Int 14 will still be going strong long after the Olympic skiff has disappeared (does anyone remember the Tempest...a good boat for the larger sailor).

 

Gordon

Originally posted by 49erGBR735HSC Everyone seems to be forgetting the B14 though, which was the first boat by modern standards to have an assymetric put on it & basically pioneered a major change within sailing.

That is a very strong and wrong claim!

If you want to point to a PRODUCTION boat that had an assymetric kite that seriously influenced sailing in the UK the only 2 boats in contention are the ISO and the L5000.  The B14 may have been around longer but it was in such small numbers that it had hardly any impact on the market at all.

The best boat ever would have to be the Laser or the Optimist - both very simple to sail yet difficult to sail well, accessible to everyone and just about everywhere.

I would suggest that both the Dragon and the Star classes have been getting more than 15 nations at their World's, even the European's, for some considerable time.

I am not sure that this is the most valid criteria - how many nations take part in the World's for such serious contender's in "best boat ever" as say the Int 14, the International Canoe or the International 6 metre?

The J24's certainly merit their place in the Hall of Fame - because of the number of great sailors who have come up through the class or who continue to sail it. Outright winner in the Small One Design Cruiser Racer category...after all the boat does have a lid, bunks and other such accoutrements...

Gordon

PS After 35 years as an enthusiastic member of the Crew's Union I have decided to give up sailing and take up the closely linked but entirely separate pastime of "boat owning". I'm buying a Wayfarer...outright winner in the Best ever offshore cruising dinghy category.

Originally posted by Blobby Originally posted by 49erGBR735HSC Everyone seems to be forgetting the B14 though, which was the first boat by modern standards to have an assymetric put on it & basically pioneered a major change within sailing. That is a very strong and wrong claim! If you want to point to a PRODUCTION boat that had an assymetric kite that seriously influenced sailing in the UK the only 2 boats in contention are the ISO and the L5000.  The B14 may have been around longer but it was in such small numbers that it had hardly any impact on the market at all. The best boat ever would have to be the Laser or the Optimist - both very simple to sail yet difficult to sail well, accessible to everyone and just about everywhere.

I'd tend to aggree up to a point but I reckon the B14 was the first there assymetric-wise and a lot of boats picked up the idea from it. Without seeing a B14 sail successfully, or other boats which had been influenced by it, probably the 18s, 14s, etc, do you think Laser and Topper would have been so creative with the 5000 & ISO.  Plus on the bigger scale of things, the 5000 and ISO seemed to have taken off in the UK initially but not too many other places. They are predominantly UK boats.